waang4 gaak3 zi2橫格子横格子
Jyutpingwaang4 gaak3 zi2
Yalewàahng gaak jí
Definition
An opium divan or opium den.
datedplacesother
How it's used
This term is heavily tied to historical Hong Kong and the colonial era, referring specifically to the partitioned wooden bunks where opium was smoked. It is rarely used in modern daily speech unless discussing history or period dramas. It carries a strong sense of nostalgia or dark historical context rather than being a current place of business.
Measure word
gaan1間gānExamples
People in the past really liked going to opium dens to smoke.
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with modern terms for grid patterns or checked fabric, which also use the characters 橫 and 格. The specific meaning of an opium den is archaic and highly context dependent.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
